Person
David Grann's book recommendations
Key facts
- David Grann has recommended or discussed 7 books on podcasts, as of November 5, 2025.
- David Grann has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of November 5, 2025.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of November 5, 2025.
- The 3 books David Grann has mentioned in the most episodes, not counting David Grann's own, as of November 5, 2025: Epitaph for a Spy, Grey Wolf and The North water.
- The latest episode with a book mention from David Grann aired on November 5, 2025.
Updated
Across 2 podcasts. Every show David Grann appears on, in one place — not just one.
David Grann’s most recommended books
- Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler
- Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
- The North water by Ian McGuire
- The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
David Elliot Grann is an American journalist, a staff writer for The New Yorker, and author. On The Megyn Kelly Show, Grann recommended several books suitable for readers and fathers. He suggested Eric Ambler's Epitaph for a Spy, describing him as a great, somewhat forgotten writer of early spy novels. He also recommended Candice Millard's The River of Doubt as a compelling story detailing a president thrust directly into a difficult situation, Ian McGuire's The North Water as a striking sea novel, and Louise Penny's mystery novel The Grey Wolf. In addition to recommending works by other authors, Grann discussed his own rigorous research process during an appearance on How I Write. He detailed how he uncovered previously uninvestigated murder cases and secret grand jury testimony while writing Killers of the Flower Moon, noting that a significant portion of his historical evidence came from a branch of the National Archives located in Fort Worth, Texas. He also explained how a long-standing personal interest in historical mutinies ultimately inspired him to write his most recent book, The Wager.
Books recommended by David Grann
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The Wager
The Wager by David Grann is a historical non-fiction book detailing the harrowing 18th-century shipwreck of a British naval vessel and the dramatic mutiny and survival trials that followed.
Discussed“So for example, the wager uh my most recent book I was sitting around and I was thinking oh well you know what would be interesting. I thought well a subject that's always interested me was mutinies.”
Where to get it
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Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is a harrowing work of historical non-fiction examining the systematic murders of wealthy Osage people in Oklahoma during the 1920s and the birth of the FBI.
Discussed“Uh well, in Killers of the Flower Moon, when I was researching that book, uh I discovered that there were many cases that had never been properly investigated by the authorities and that there were these other killings.”
Where to get it
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The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z by David Grann is a gripping non-fiction historical account detailing the ill-fated expeditions of British explorer Percy Fawcett into the Amazon rainforest.
Discussed“So I think you want to have some element of uh usually um you know let's say let's talk about the lost city of Z. It was the first book I did about explorers who disappeared in the Amazon”
Where to get it
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Epitaph for a Spy
Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler is a classic espionage thriller centered on a quiet schoolteacher on holiday who unwittingly finds himself photographed next to a naval secret and forced to track down a spy.
Recommended“When he mentioned Lendy and you know there was it it reminded me of Eric Amler who I think is actually a great father's day book and somebody who has kind of been forgotten over time but wrote early spy novels... and epitap to a spy would be a great one to start with”
Where to get it
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Grey Wolf
Grey Wolf by Louise Penny is a murder mystery novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he uncovers dark conspiracies and complex crimes within the seemingly idyllic Quebec village of Three Pines.
Recommended“um uh but I picked this one by Louise Penny. Um, this is her newest one, The Grey Wolf. The plot in this one is a little bit more baroque.”
Where to get it
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The North water
The North Water by Ian McGuire is a gripping historical novel set aboard a whaling ship in the nineteenth century, following a brutal journey into the freezing waters of the Arctic.
Recommended“and um this is a book called The North Water by uh, Ian Maguire. um I don't even know how to describe. You all would probably describe it better than I would, but um it is it's a sea novel”
Where to get it
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The River of Doubt
The River of Doubt by Candice Millard is a riveting historical narrative detailing former U.S.
Recommended“It's by Candace Mard. It's the river of doubt because what it really is is just a hell of a story and rather than being a soup to nuts bio of an individual, it's just plopping down the president in the middle of a situation”
Where to get it
Books by David Grann
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Killers of the Flower Moon
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The Lost City of Z
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The Devil and Sherlock Holmes
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The Wager
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The white darkness
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The old man and the gun
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Lost Tomb
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TransElectric
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Write Something Truly Memorable — David Grann | How I Write | 2025-11-05 | 13 |
| Nine Books Every Dad Needs This Father's Day - "Dedicated with Doug Brunt" Special Episode | The Megyn Kelly Show | 2025-06-13 | 4 |
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And I had on my iPhone with me uh an audible of Moby Dick.”
“I read this when I was working on the Lost City of Z. So that's how that's what kind of led me uh to that one.”
“And of course working on the wager, something you know about. Yes. Working on the wager. I I was you know read a lot of seales.”